WA Liberals promise national park on re-election

Updated
March 01, 2013 08:18:00

The Liberal Government in Western Australia has taken environmental groups by surprise, announcing a massive national park in the Kimberley as part of its re-election platform. The Wanjina National Park, north-east of Derby would cover 20,000 square kilometres, making it the nation's biggest. The announcement means the Liberal and Labor parties have made new commitments to protecting the environment of the Kimberley region.

TIM PALMER: The Liberal Government in Western Australia has surprised environment groups by announcing a massive national park in the Kimberley as part of its re-election platform.

The Wanjina National Park, north-east of Derby would cover some 20,000 square kilometres, making it the nation's biggest.

The announcement ups the ante after Labor committed to expand the proposed Great Kimberley Marine Park, and create the Fitzroy River National Park.

Environment groups say that while they're delighted with the bidding war over protecting the Kimberley, they'll continue to campaign against gas hub development at James Price Point, north of Broome, a project still backed by both parties.

David Weber reports.

DAVID WEBER: The Environment Minister Bill Marmion says he wants Wanjina National Park to be Australia's biggest.

BILL MARMION: In comparison to Kakadu National Park, Kakadu National Park is 18,000 square kilometres so if we can actually get all the areas I want included in the Wanjina National Park, it'll be 20,000 square kilometres and it'll be then the biggest national park in Australia.

DAVID WEBER: The national park would provide protection for rock art, Mitchell Falls, Kings Cascades and Pitta Gorge.

Thousands of kilometres of coastline would be protected, but the figure's hard to measure because there are so many coves.

Bill Marmion says the Liberals' plan is bigger than Labor's proposal.

BILL MARMION: Looking at the plan that they put out, their marine park doesn't extend all the way to the Northern Territory border, and ours does.

DAVID WEBER: Environmentalists have been unanimous in their praise, just as they were with Labor's Kimberley announcements.

John Carey, of the Pew Environment Group.

JOHN CAREY: It's well-known for being one of the last great intact coastlines left on the planet. In particular the new national park, that I have to admit has caught us all by surprise, the environment sector, is a major win for the environment. What we've seen in fact is almost a bidding war between both Labor and Liberal in relation to the Kimberley and protection of the Kimberley and we're not going to complain about that.

DAVID WEBER: Environmentalists say the gas hub proposed for James Price Point, and the potential for fracking in the region are still major issues.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) spokesman, Paul Gamblin.

PAUL GAMBLIN: The commitments being made by the parties to large scale protection of the marine environment and to create a new national park as well is a very positive step forward and something that is consistent with the vision that WWF and other conservation groups see for the Kimberley.

DAVID WEBER: Is it not possible to consider these big environmental announcements as something of a trade-off for James Price Point?

PAUL GAMBLIN: Our position on Browse Basin gas is that the impacts that would occur from a gas hub on the Kimberley would be too high and what we're calling for is that the gas be processed outside the Kimberley based on our assessment of the environmental impacts.

DAVID WEBER: What would this mean for fracking?

PAUL GAMBLIN: Well, the current announcements don't go to that and what we're saying is that we are looking for all parties to create a vision for the Kimberley that doesn't see it industrialised, that sees its natural and cultural values protected and we'd like to see more commitments than we've seen so far.